Emotional availability, attachment, and intervention in center-based child care for infants and toddlers

Biringen, Zeynep; Altenhofen, Shannon; Aberle, Jennifer; Baker, Megan; Brosal, Aubrey; Bennett, Sera; Coker, Ellen; Lee, Carly; Meyer, Beatrice; Moorlag, Albertha; Swaim, Randall C.

doi:10.1017/s0954579411000630

Cited by 62 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…However, taking into account potential negative effects of cortisol elevations early in life, supporting mother’s non-intrusiveness and children’s responsiveness seems to be a promising approach in order to reduce potential elevations of cortisol in association with kindergarten entry and thus promoting early child development. Previous studies have shown that the EA of a dyad is relatively stable across time, but that it is sensitive to change through interventions supporting emotional available caregiver-child relationships at home as well as in professional caregiving settings (Biringen et al, 2010, 2012, 2014; Baker et al, 2015). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transition to Kindergarten: Negative Associations between the Emotional Availability in Mother–Child Relationships and Elevated Cortisol Levels in Children with an Immigrant Background

2017

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Background: The transition to child care is a challenging time in a child’s life and leads to elevated levels of cortisol. These elevations may be influenced by the quality of the mother–child relationship. However, remarkably little is known about cortisol production in response to the beginning of child care among children-at-risk such as children with an immigrant background. However, attending kindergarten or any other child day-care institution can for example have a compensating effect on potential language deficits thus improving the educational opportunities of these children.Method: Data of a subsample of N = 24 “hard-to-reach” mother–child dyads was collected in the context of the psychoanalytic early prevention project FIRST STEPS. The project focuses on the earliest integration of children with an immigrant background by supporting parenting capacities in the critical phase of migration and early parenthood. Children’s hair cortisol concentration (HCC) was assessed 1 week before (mean age = 38.77 months) and 3 months after kindergarten entry (mean age = 42.26 months). Hair analysis was conducted for both times of measurement, reflecting the first 3 months after kindergarten entry and 3 months prior. Furthermore, the emotional quality of the mother–child relationship was assessed with the help of the Emotional Availability Scales (EAS; Biringen, 2008) shortly before kindergarten entry when the children were about 3 years old (mean age = 37.2).Results and Conclusion: Children’s mean cumulated HCC was higher after kindergarten entry than before. The increase correlated negatively with several dimensions of the EAS. Repeated measures ANCOVA revealed that particularly responsive children and children who had experienced less intrusive mother–child relationships demonstrated lower elevations in HCC after kindergarten entry. Furthermore, a decreased EA score was found in all EA dimensions, besides the dimension “mother’s non-hostility,” indicating problematic EA within the mother–child relationships of the sample. The results suggest that children with an immigrant background who experience more emotional available mother–child relationships seem to regulate stress induced by kindergarten entry more effectively, indicated by lower cortisol elevations after entry. This implicates that supporting early mother–child relationships by intervention may have a positive effect on the children’s ability to regulate stress induced by kindergarten entry thus promoting child development.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transition to Kindergarten: Negative Associations between the Emotional Availability in Mother–Child Relationships and Elevated Cortisol Levels in Children with an Immigrant Background

2017

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“…Biringen et al (2012) implemented an intervention program that includes information about attachment, emotional availability and practice, using video feedback to increase attachment between 57 caregivers and 57 young infants and toddlers who VOL. 11 NO.…”

Section: Establishing the Need For The Programmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Early Childhood Socio-Emotional and Behavior Regulation Intervention Specialist (EC-SEBRIS) training model: a crossroad of mental health and early childhood education

Ritblatt

2016

The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice

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If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to present the Early Childhood-Socio-Emotional and Behavior Regulation Intervention Specialist (EC-SEBRIS) Certificate Program model integrating knowledge and practice. Coursework, videotaping, on-site coaching, and the reflective process facilitate the application of knowledge through the integration of theory and practice supporting young children and families. It is designed to help teachers and early childhood professionals to internalize the skills and competencies needed to address challenging behaviors in their classrooms or at homes so that they can meet the critical social-emotional and behavioral needs of children. Design/methodology/approach -The paper will provide: research-based information to establish the need for such training programs; the rational to the conceptual framework of the EC-SEBRIS Certificate Program; the depiction of the wraparound training model, which uses triple coaching and mentoring methods: reflective supervision, videotaping, and on-site coaching for teachers; and a preliminary evaluation of the program, and future plans. Findings -The EC-SEBRIS Certificate Program is at its early implementation stage. The author have graduated four cohorts, for a total of 113, early childhood professionals who have been hired to enhance the behavioral health services provided to young children and families. Overall, results suggest that the students' knowledge base and confidence improved from time 1 to time 2 for each of the knowledge-based courses. Research limitations/implications -This is a conceptual paper. Practical implications -The program bridges the early childhood education (ECE) and early childhood mental health fields, and recognizes the important role that early care and education professionals play in the socio-emotional development of young children. Coursework, videotaping, on-site coaching, and the reflective process facilitate the application of knowledge through the integration of theory and practice in the field supporting young children and families. Social implications -Challenging behaviors are one of the issues all early childhood educators have to deal within their classrooms. The model, as pre...

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“…Biringen et al. () used the AQS as an outcome measure in testing the efficacy of a training program aimed at encouraging the emotional availability of childcare professionals toward toddlers in their care. In this study, the intervention group showed improvements on the AQS from pre‐ to posttest, as compared to the control group.…”

Section: Assessment Tools Related To Attachmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attachment and Caregiver–infant Interaction: A Review of Observational‐assessment Tools

Tryphonopoulos

Letourneau

DiTommaso

2014

Infant Mental Health Journal

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The relationship between maternal-infant interaction and attachment quality to infant developmental outcomes has long been established. As children mature, problems stemming from troubled caregiver-infant relations may result in referral to mental health or child protection services. The accurate and appropriate assessment of attachment is critical for early recognition of problematic relations and for informing suitable treatment modalities. Evaluating the quality of attachment poses a challenge for researchers and clinicians seeking to explore the association between infant development and the quality of early caregiving experiences. Although providing a definitive answer to the question of which of these assessment procedures is the single universal standard for measuring attachment quantity is beyond the scope of this article, readers will be provided with a description and comparison of strengths and limitations of the most commonly used measures of attachment, including the Strange Situation Procedure (M.D.S. Ainsworth, M.C. Blehar, E. Waters, & S. Wall, 1978), Attachment Q-Sort (E. Waters & K.E. Deane, 1985), Toddler Attachment Sort (TAS-45; J. Kirkland, D. Bimler, A. Drawneek, M. McKim, & A. Scholmerich, 2004), CARE-Index (P. Crittenden, 1985), Atypical Maternal Behavior Instrument for Assessment and Classification (AMBIANCE; E. Bronfman, E. Parsons, & K. Lyons-Ruth, 1999), Massie-Campbell Scale of Mother-Infant Attachment Indicators During Stress Scale (Attachment During Stress Scale; H.N. Massie & B.K. Campbell, 1983), and the Risky Situation Procedure (D. Paquette & M. Bigras, 2010).

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Emotional availability, attachment, and intervention in center-based child care for infants and toddlers

Cited by 62 publications

References 55 publications

Transition to Kindergarten: Negative Associations between the Emotional Availability in Mother–Child Relationships and Elevated Cortisol Levels in Children with an Immigrant Background

Transition to Kindergarten: Negative Associations between the Emotional Availability in Mother–Child Relationships and Elevated Cortisol Levels in Children with an Immigrant Background

The Early Childhood Socio-Emotional and Behavior Regulation Intervention Specialist (EC-SEBRIS) training model: a crossroad of mental health and early childhood education

Attachment and Caregiver–infant Interaction: A Review of Observational‐assessment Tools

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